Afghan Avalanches Kill 165 People

Soldiers and local volunteers in northern Afghanistan have found more bodies and survivors from recent avalanches along a well-traveled mountain road.

Afghan officials said Wednesday that at least 165 people died from the avalanches in the Salang Pass - a 3,400-meter-high mountain road that connects Kabul to the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Officials said rescue workers using helicopters and heavy machinery have rescued more than 2,500 people.

Days of heavy snowfall triggered the avalanches, burying parts of the road and blocking a tunnel. Media reports say the force of the avalanches pushed two buses and several cars into a deep gorge.

President Hamid Karzai has expressed condolences for the victims and ordered Afghan public works officials to assist the rescue effort.


Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.